Jharsuguda : A decision by the Samalei Truck Owners Association, Bandhbahal, to slash coal transportation freight by Rs 12 per tonne from September 9 in Mahanadi Coalfields Limited’s (MCL) Lakhanpur area has triggered sharp pro-tests from truck owners, who allege corruption, mismanagement, and unilateral decisionmaking.
Association president Akhil Swain and general secretary Santosh Mohanty defended the cut, stating it would ulti-mately benefit truckers. They claimed that earlier, truck owners had to pay extra money to secure coal transport work due to corrupt practices, but the reduction now offsets those hidden expenses. However, many truckers, including former association president Prasanna Singh, strongly opposed the move, calling it arbitrary and “a cover for corruption.” They accused the leadership of bypassing a general body meeting be-fore announcing the cut and warned that resent-ment could escalate into large-scale protests.
The dispute follows a June 19 police action in which five people, including a transporter, were ar-rested for allegedly extorting Rs 145 per truck from drivers loading coal at Lakhanpur opencast mines. Sources revealed that while 850 trucks are available in the area, only 450-500 are dispatched daily, each carrying about 18 tonnes of coal.
Truck owners argue that while they earlier lost Rs 145 per truckload for seal-ing loading slips, they are now losing around Rs 300 per truck due to the Rs 12 per tonne reduction. They also pointed out that major companies like Vedanta, JSW, and Hindalco have not cut freight rates, questioning why their association alone imposed the burden.
They further alleged that tender norms require the transporter’s Payloader to load 20,000 tonnes daily, but only 10,000-12,000 tonnes are being handled, leaving many trucks idle. They demanded that MCL reassign the remaining 8,000 tonnes to other con-tractors to prevent losses to the coal linkage bidders.
Truckers have urged immediate withdrawal of the freight cut and threatened strong agitation against the association’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Lakhanpur Area General Manager A.K. Pandey assured that MCL is committed to transparency in coal transportation. He warned that any discrepancies would invite strict action and said discussions are underway to introduce multi-axle vehicles to make coal transport safer, more economical, and transparent.
